Judge rules white person can’t sue Paula Deen on racism charges

The racial discrimination lawsuit against former television cooking personality Paula Deen was dismissed on Monday when a federal judge determined that a white employee had no basis for making those charges against her.

According to ABC News, District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. ruled that the plaintiff, Lisa Jackson, could not claim to be a victim of racism on Deen’s part because of her race. Moore did leave open sexual harassment claims against Deen.

“There are no allegations that [Deen’s] racially offensive comments were either directed toward plaintiff or made with the intent to harass her,” Moore wrote in his opinion.

“We are pleased with the court’s ruling today that Lisa Jackson’s claims of race discrimination have been dismissed,” a spokesperson for Deen said in a statement. “As Ms. Deen has stated before, she is confident that those who truly know how she lives her life know that she believes in equal opportunity, kindness and fairness for everyone.”

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Arturo R. García is the managing editor at Racialicious.com. He is based in San Diego, California and has written for both print and broadcast media, including contributions to GlobalComment.com, The Root and Comment Is Free. Follow him on Twitter at @ABoyNamedArt